'Military Report on Persian Seistan' [‎86r] (176/188)

1 Cl
SIN
glass, prove it to liave been a contemporary of Nad-i-Ali, Kila Fath and
Zaidan. and probably to have been armed by one and the same person.
1 he natives invariably refer its history to the mythical age of Kustam.
But, from the Saracenic style of building, the Cufic character of the
superscriptions, and the similarity of fragments of articles found, rendered
it evident that its best days were under the Muhammadan sway,—prob
ably some of the lieutenants of the Khalifas, who governed Mashhad, and
pushing their conquests, established a government in those remote regions.
If the fact of Alexander causing Herat to be built prior to gomg up
the Etymander be considered, the probability will be that Silian corre
sponds to the Drangrani and the Bost to Scythia, from the intersection
of canals between.—( Bellew, Rozario. )
SINJARANI-
A Baluch tribe, which has gained permanent location in Siestan since the
commencement of this century, prior to which they were ‘pa'as nashin/ or
booth dwellers. They first came to Garmsel from Baluchistan at the time
that Shah Ahmad established the Durani power. At this period they annually
fieqnented the left l ank of the Helmand between Malakhan and Rudbar
under their Chief, Abdulla Khan. This tract belonged to the Nurzai
Afghans ; btlt, having been some years previously devastated by Nadir Shah,
was at the time of the Baluch occupation a deserted waste, as it is still at
the present day; for the Baluch were mere robber nomads, who lived here
with their camels and flocks for six or eight months of the year only, in
temporary booths, or huts made of wicker frames of tamarisk called ‘palas.’
Abdulla Khan appears to have been on good terms with the Nurzais; but
his second successor, Jan Beg, was constantly at feud with them. He was
a noted robber, and for many years intercepted the communication between
Kandahar and Seistan via, Garmsel. In his time the Sinjarani and their
subjects, the Tauki Baluch, extended their wanderings along the banks of
the Helmand as far as the Chakansur district. Here they took a greater or
less part in the struggles at that time going on between the local Chiefs of
Seistan, and thus came to acquire a sort of position in the country, and
changed their migratory life for one in fixed habitations. This they were
the more easily enabled to effect, owing to the employment of the Nurzais in
the struggle then going on between Timur’s sons for the possession of the
throne, and their consequent inability to protect their tribal lands from
encroachment.
The Sinjarani Chiefs being Sunnis, their tendency is towards the Afghans.
The Sinjaranis of Seistan are now a very important tribe, both as regards
their influence and their numbers. In their politics they always side with
the Kandahar Chief; but within their own limit they are independent. The
deputation by Ibrahim Khan of his son Khan Jahan to the Court of Shir Ali
Khan w'as the first outward sign made of the allegiance of the Baluch to the
throne of Kabul.
The Sinjarani and their Tauki subjects, amongst whom are several Tokhi
Tarakhi, and other Ghilzai families, remnants of the invaders of Bersia under
Mir Muhammad, occupy the villages of Chakkosur, Khash, Kaddah, Jahana-
bad, Nadi-ali, Tiflak, Rudbar,Chaharburjak, Bandar Kamal Khan, Khairabad,
Ishkinak Hussainabad, Ilamdar, Khwaja Ahmad, Nazir Khan Agha Jan
and a few others, at the two first of which, as the chief amongst the above
villages, are also distributed several scattered families of Nurzai Afghans.
— ( Bellew.)